A Thousand Pardons
by himay-lynn007
Summary: Miley can't do it anymore. She can no longer deal with her break up from Nick Jonas. But why did they split in the first place? Only Kevin knows. Niley.
1. Chapter 1

I, Miley Ray Cyrus, am kneeling under the trap door of the stage, preparing to wrap up my concert in Atlantic City with an acoustic version of one of my songs. I take my place on my stool, guitar in hand, and am raised slowly until I am on stage. Thousands of flashbulbs illuminate the arena as I grab the mic and begin to speak.

"I want to dedicate this song to someone very special to me, and would like to remind you that everyone is _One in a Million_!"

By the end of the song, salty tears stung at the corners of my eyes, my shoulders had begun to rack with dry sobs, and my voice quavered. I quickly said a few thank yous and ran backstage. The second I got down stairs I crumpled against a wall and let my tears fall.

Kevin ran over to me and encased me in his arms. "Miley! Miles, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Not here," I managed to choke out, so he helped me up off the floor and we walk the distance to my dressing room.

"So what happened out there? What's wrong?"

"You couldn't hear that song from back here could you? Please tell me that I didn't just make the biggest fool of myself."

"You know that the dressing rooms are soundproof. Why are you so worried about it anyway? I'm sure it sounded fantastic. _I Miss You_ is one of my favorite songs that you sing."

"Thank God! I don't know what came over me, but I kind of substitutes _One in a Million_ for _I Miss You _and dedicated it to your brother." I said that last part really quietly because I knew it sounded stupid and desperate.

Kevin's face instantly paled and his mouth opened slowly. "Um… in that case there is something that you should know." He took a deep breath, paused, and just looked at me for a second. "Every concert so far Nick has changed after _We Got the Party_ to watch you perform as Miley." He visibly cringed in anticipation for what he knew was coming next.

"WHAT! You have to be kidding me." The tears instantly flooded back into my eyes and my vision blurred.

"Miley! Miley what the frick did you do to Nick? He just locked himself in his dressing room and won't speak to anyone at all, " called Joe's voice from the other side of my locked door.

"Shit! Kev, can you get rid of him please. I don't want to explain this again. I can't face Nick yet. Not like this."

"Sure, but you need to explain this to him sometime. You both deserve to know the whole truth." And with that, he left. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was glad that I was getting some alone time.

You see, Nick and I had been dating (for one year, three months, and seventeen days to be exact). Then out of the blue, two weeks before out Best of Both Worlds Tour kicked off he said that we should stop seeing each other. He wouldn't give me a reason. He still wanted to be "just friends," but we don't talk nearly as much as we used to. He's really awkward around me.

I didn't want to break up in the first place, and I still love him now. I had held strong in the public eye and in front of him, but in the privacy of my tour bus I have cried myself dry (usually to the tired ears of Kevin and Joe). Tonight, though, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I don't know when exactly I decided to make that dedication, but I wish I could erase that moment from time.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up this morning and groaned. The last verse of _Still in Love With You_ blasted in my ears as I reached up and removed my headphones. We were in Washington, DC, and I knew that at some point during the day I would have to face Nick. We had to sing a song and dance together that night. Never before had I dreaded performing in front of people so much. We had a sound check at ten, so I had to get up, shower, and look decent. After all, I had to face the one boy that I couldn't get out of my mind.

"Miley, come from the back stairwell to the mic at center stage just before the boys run on from the right," the tour's production manager, Gerry, yelled. "We're only going to do the first two verses now. Stop at the bridge."

I was so nervous I thought I was going to pass out. Nick had been completely avoiding me all morning; when Kevin and Joe brought a bagel and coffee to my bus this morning for breakfast, they said that he wanted to sleep in. Yeah right. I freaked him out, I know I did, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Just because he stopped loving me does not mean that the feeling is mutual. I just couldn't lie to him or to myself anymore.

The music started as I ran up to my mic stand and Joe appeared next to me.

C'mon guys, tell me what we're doin',  
We're hangin' around when we could be all over the place,  
The sun is shinin' just the way we like it,  
Let's get outta this hallway show the world our face

Then I heard his voice. I glanced beside me as he sang his line.

It's Friday, but there's no where to go,  
Anywhere is cool, but we're not goin' home,  
We can do anything we wanna do,  
It's all up to me and you.

He was looking at me. Staring, in fact, with absolutely no emotion in his face. I was so distracted by his gaze that I nearly missed the cue for the chorus.

Turn this park into a club,  
The stars are lights,  
And the moon is a vibe from above,  
Skateboards here's our ride so pull on up,  
Everyone is waiting for us,  
Anywhere we are, Anywhere we go,  
Everybody knows,  
We got the party with us,  
Anywhere we are, Anywhere we go,  
Everybody knows,  
We got the party with us

The moment came when I was supposed to walk down the runway with Nick and dance around him. But just as he was standing next to me and I had my arm around his shoulders, Gerry cut in. "Alright everyone, that's enough for now. I'll see you here in makeup at 5 PM sharp."

Way to stop at _the_ most awkward part of the song Ger.

I lowered my arm slowly and Nick silently turned around without looking at me and walked away.

I just stood there for a moment, watching his retreating figure with tears in my eyes. I had really messed this one up.

I was smacked back to reality when Kevin called over to me. "Miles, want to get some lunch?"

"Sure, sounds good," I answered quietly and gently wiped at my eyes.

**So this is the second chapter of my first fanfiction ever. If you could I would appreciate any feedback that you can give! Sorry about the brevity of the first chapter. I didn't even know if it had posted or not.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I really took what you guys said into consideration when writing this chapter.**

* * *

I went back to my bus to grab my purse and sunglasses. Kevin said that he would pick me up here.

I still don't understand why Nick broke up with me. We were so happy together. Pretty much every second that I wasn't filming and he wasn't in the studio we were together, and recently we had even been doing that together.

Was he getting tired of me? He didn't act like he was at all. He was the one who usually made plans for us. And to top it all off, the day before he said that we shouldn't see each other anymore he told me that he loved me. It was the first time that either of us had said that and I hadn't had the chance to return the favor.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tornado of banging on my door, accompanied (of course) by Joe's loud voice. "Mi-ley, open up! I'm going to die of starvation if I don't eat right now!" he pleaded like a seven-year-old.

"Okay, okay hold your horses I'm coming." I opened the door to see Joe sprinting to the car's backseat.

Freak.

I walked around to the passenger side of the car and froze. In the passenger side back seat sat the one and only Nick Jonas. I completely froze, standing about three feet from the car door, staring at him. He wasn't even looking back.

_Great_.

"Miley, get in! You're going to freeze out there. Its only twenty degrees," called Kevin from the open window.

I just glared at him and sat down in the front seat, keeping my eyes on the road ahead and my mouth shut.

Kevin knew that I would not have agreed to come to this lunch if I knew that Nick would be here.

* * *

We sat down in a booth in the back corner of a local diner. I made sure that I sat in the back corner, as far as possible from Nick.

"So, anything exciting happen last night?" asked Joe, trying to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the group.

"Not much. Brandi and I played a little rummy while watching The Incredibles, but that was about it. I was so worn out from that concert that I was in bed by 10:30."

"I thought rummy was your thing," replied Joe, gesturing to Nick and me.

Nick gave him a hard look, and Joe yelped and rubbed his leg where Kevin's shoe had made contact with it.

"Yeah, but I'm kind of addicted. I mean, I had played it pretty much every night for the past two years. I guess I couldn't break the habit," I mumbled, looking down into my cup of coffee. "What did you guys do after the concert?"

"Well little Nicky here wrote an entire new song, while Kevin and I took the proper action and passed out face first on the couch," Joe said, nudging Nick in the arm to try to get him to perk up.

"Wow, a new song. Impressive," I said, looking over at him to see a blush creeping up on his cheeks under his curls.

"Yeah, its not that good or anything. Just a rough draft of an idea," Nick said, finally looking at me.

"Are you kidding Nick? It's an amazing song, full of passion and hurt. It's one of my favorites that you've ever written, and it's not even finished yet!" cried Kevin. "Don't try and be modest."

If it was possible, Nick got even redder at that compliment. He was always the one to downplay his talent. "Yeah, whatever."

"So what was the song about Nick?" I asked, extremely curious about a song about pain and passion.

When Nick didn't answer Joe took the opportunity to jump in for him. "Well, it's about this guy who thinks his life is over when his girlfriend cheats on him with his best friend and OWW!" he practically screamed as Kevin kicked him under the table again.

Nick just jumped up from his seat and ran out of the restaurant.

"Oh shit! I guess you weren't supposed to hear that Miley. I better go find Nick and apologize," Said Joe, already half way out of his seat.

"What did he mean by girlfriend who cheated on him?" I asked Kevin slowly, disbelief etched on my face. "Does he seriously think that I cheated on him? Is that why he broke up with me? Please tell me that I haven't been miserable for the past two months because your brother falsely accused me of cheating!"

"Miley, please, slow down and just listen to me for a second. Yes, that is why he broke up with you," I was about to cut in again but Kevin beat me to it. "Remember in August when you filmed that last episode of Hannah with Cody Linley? Well we showed up at the set that day. The second that we walked on set we kind of witnessed you kiss him in your dressing room."

My mouth immediately dropped open. "What… how… why?"

"Nick was so upset he ran offset and refused to come back to face you for an explanation. He wouldn't even consider the possibility that you were only kissing as a part of the episode. I swear, I tried to convince him that you loved him, that you would never cheat on him like that, but he wouldn't believe it."

"How could you not tell me this?" I shrieked. "I thought we were friends! I have always considered you a brother, how could you not have had my back? Did Joe know about this?"

"No he didn't come with us that day, it was just Nick and me. Don't blame him for this. I'm so sorry Miley. In this case, blood had to be thicker than water. Nick is my brother. I had to respect his feelings on this one."

"Don't even try to explain. And don't talk to me ever again. I'll get my own ride home." And with that I left, well, to the bathroom at least. I took out my cell phone and called Brandi. "Brandi?"

"Miley? Oh my god Miley what's wrong? Are you okay?" I guess I was crying. Brandi always knew when something was wrong.

"I'll tell you later, okay? Can you just please come pick me up? I'm on 9th and Central at the diner."

"Yeah, I'll be there in a couple of minutes. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. See you here."

­

* * *

**I combined two chapters that I had written into one to make it longer. The next chapter will be the confrontation with Kevin and Brandi and Miley and Brandi and then the D.C. concert. It should be out by tomorrow. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Other point of view:**

Brandi opened the door of the diner to come face to face with an extremely flustered Kevin Jonas. "Hey Kev, have you seen Miley? She sounded really upset on the phone."

"Um, I think she's in the bathroom, but listen Brandi, you should know why she's so upset before you go talk to her. She kind of just found out that Nick broke up with her because he thought she was cheating on him."

"Oh wow. Well why should she be upset about that? I would think that would be a good thing. Now she can explain to him that she wasn't cheating on him and they can get back together. Lord knows that is what they both want."

"Well, I sort of also told her that I had known that he thought that all along and I never told her. She didn't appreciate the fact that I put my relationship with my brother before our friendship."

"I understand. And don't worry, I would have done the same thing with Miley if she were in that situation. She'll forgive you. She is probably just looking for someone to blame, and I'm sure she'll take into account what strong relationships that you have with your brothers."

"Thanks Brandi. I'm going to go find Joe and Nick and hopefully settle this thing once and for all." With that he gave her a quick hug and walked across the parking lot to his car.

Brandi walked into the restaurant and went straight to the ladies room. "Miles? Please honey let's just get out of here. We can talk about this back at the venue."

She heard sniffling in the last stall so she knocked gently on the door.

**Miley's point of view:**

I opened the door slowly and embraced my sister in a hug. She had always been my support system. She always understood my emotions better than everyone else did. I walked over to the sinks and looked at myself in the mirror. _Great_ I don't think I could have possibly looked worse at the moment. I had very noticeable tearstains running down my cheeks, smudging blue mascara at least two inches under my eyes, and my hair was completely disheveled (and not even in a good way).

I quickly splashed my face with some water and followed Brandi back to her car.

Once we had driven for a mile or so Brandi started interrogating me. "You did cheat on him, did you? Why didn't you try to explain to him that you would never do something like that?"

"Of course I didn't cheat on him! And I can't believe that he doesn't know me well enough to know that I would never do something like that. If I had known that that was why he broke up with me I would have done anything to prove to him that I had always been faithful. I can't believe Kevin never told me. He knew how much I was hurting," I raged.

"Miley, you know you can't blame Kevin for this. If you were in his position, wouldn't you have protected your sibling?"

"Yeah, yeah I know but still. Kevin and I are really close. I just feel like we could have gotten this over a lot sooner if I had known."

"It will all work out in due time Miles, I promise. I'm sure Kevin and Joe are explaining the whole misunderstanding to Nick again now. But you say that he wrote a song about it? That sounds to me like he's hurting just as much as you are."

"We'll see."

* * *

I walked into hair and makeup at 4:59 to find Kevin and Joe already there. "Um, Kev? Can I talk to you privately really fast?" 

"Sure. Hey, Karin, I'm going to go outside with Miley for a minute. You can help Jillian with Joe's hair if you want. You know it will take her at least an hour to get it exactly the way he wants it anyway."

"Sure Kevin. But don't be too long. Gerry wanted us to be done in here by 5:30."

The second Kevin and I got out into the hallway I pulled him into a hug. "I'm so sorry Kevin I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you over something so stupid I know why you chose to support Nick over me I was just looking for an explanation for the split and…"

"Whoa Miley slow down," he managed to cut in. He pushed me back slightly so we were arm lengths apart. "It's alright. I understand why you were mad. But either way, I talked to Nick and I think I was finally able to convince him that there is a possibility that you weren't actually cheating on him. No promises though, ok? You need to talk to him and sort this whole thing out yourself."

I hugged him tightly again with a smile on my face for the first time that day. "Thank you so much Kevin. You don't know how much it means to me that you tried."

"I told you, you're like my family. Now go find your man."

"Eww. If you're my sister does that mean that Nick is your brother? Incest!" Joe called from the open doorway.

"You're such a dork Joe," I yelled back,

* * *

Well it turned out that Nick had already had his makeup done and was somewhere with the other band members messing around. If it didn't take me an hour just to transform into Hannah I would have tried to go and find him.

Brandi came and sat next to me in makeup. She was going to be playing as a part of my band tonight, and I was so glad. It was only the third concert that she has done with me and every time I have had so much fun.

"Brandi, what should I say to him to make him understand? He's still sort of avoiding me."

She turned to me and smirked. "Oh, I have such a good plan"

**So what is Brandi's plan and what will happen with Miley and Nick during and after the concert? Read the next chapter and find out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you guys so much for your comments and ideas. I already had this chapter written, but if I didn't, I would have totally gone with your suggestion crazyforpurple. Oh, and sorry for the Nick/Joe thing in my author's note last chapter. It was supposed to say Nick, and I changed it right after you reviewed. I must have been daydreaming about Joe and his sexiness.**

* * *

Brandi left me to find Joe and Kevin and fill them in on her plan. That girl was crazy, but at that point I was desperate enough to do anything to get Nick to trust me again. 

I walked over to the wing of the stage and look out towards the crowd. I think this arena holds 17,000 people. Well, I hope that this audience is completely clueless. I'm pretty much going to confess my undying love for Nick, onstage, with him pretty much right beside me.

God Brandi I hope you're right on this one.

* * *

Nick, Joe, and Kevin had already finished six of the seven songs that they were going to sing before I came on as Hannah, and they were just starting _S.O.S._ I sat on a stool next to the stairwell entrance of the stage, my knees bouncing up and down incessantly in nervous anticipation. "Breathe Miley, breathe, " Brandi called over to me from the other side of the hallway, tuning her guitar. She was going to come out onstage with me as moral support. 

The last few notes of Kevin's guitar rang across the arena as cheers erupted from thousands of screaming fans young and old.

This was it. Brandi and I walked up to the top of the stairs and waited for Joe's introduction. "Now we have a little surprise for you guys. You have been such a good audience tonight that we decided to do a bonus song for you right now." He paused as the fans went wild.

Nick gave Kevin a questioning look across the stage and Kevin just answered him with a smirk.

"For this song, we need the help of two very lovely ladies. So could you all give a warm welcome to Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana and her big sister and our close personal friend Brandi Cyrus!" If it was possible, the audience got even louder.

Brandi and I ran onstage and waved to the crowd quickly. Brandi walked over next to Kevin, guitar in hand, and I took my position in front of the mic stand between Joe and Nick that a stage hand had supplied.

"Thank you guys so much!" I called over the roar of the crowd. "As Joe said, we're going to do something very special for you guys tonight. We are singing this song in honor of someone that we all think is a very important part of our lives. Without him, it just wouldn't be worth living. Now get ready for a combined performance of Still in Love With You!" I looked over to Nick and winked. He just stared back at me with his mouth wide open. I didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign. I looked over to Brandi, Joe, and Kevin and they all gave me a thumbs up.

Kevin took the liberty of starting off the song for us. I was going to be singing the verses instead of Joe, and he was going to play tambourine and singing the chorus with me.

_He was all I ever wanted  
He was all I ever needed and more  
He walked out my door  
Then he went away  
Left my heart in two  
Left me standing here  
Singing all these blues, yeah_

_You left without a single word  
Not even sorry  
It might've hurt worse to hear you say  
I'm leaving, goodbye  
But your smile still makes my heart sing  
Another sad song  
I can't forget it  
I won't regret it  
Cause I'm still in love with you_

I looked over at Nick to see him smiling at me, slightly shaking his head in disbelief. I just smiled back.

_We had fun under the sun  
And when winter came he'd be my angel  
We were so in love  
Then he went away  
Left my heart in two  
Left me standing here  
Singing all these blues, yeah_

_You left without a single word  
Not even sorry  
It might've hurt worse to hear you say  
I'm leaving, goodbye  
But your smile still makes my heart sing  
Another sad song  
I can't forget it  
I won't regret it  
Cause I'm still in love with you  
Still in love with you_

I began to sing the next verse but stopped as I heard Nick take over for me.

_I don't know what hurts worse baby  
Seeing you with him or being alone  
On my own  
I know he doesn't love you baby  
Not like I did  
Oh, what's the point  
You're not listening anyway_

I walked over to him and joined in for the chorus. I never took my eyes off of him as I sang. He had the goofiest smile on his face and I'm sure that mine was twice as wide.

_You left without a single word  
Not even sorry  
It might've hurt worse to hear you say  
I'm leaving, goodbye  
But your smile still makes my heart sing  
Another sad song  
I can't forget it  
I won't regret it  
Cause I'm still in love with_

At this point everyone was singing. Nick and I walked over to the others and we all stood in a line. Joe and I put our arms around the others' shoulders to connect us.

_You left without a single word  
Not even sorry  
It might've hurt worse to hear you say  
I'm leaving, goodbye  
But your smile still makes my heart sing  
Another sad song  
I can't forget it  
I won't regret it  
Cause I'm still in love with you_

I turned to Nick and gave him a long hug. Then I turned to Joe, Brandi, and Kevin and gave them a group hug. I turned my attention back to the audience. "Thank you so much everyone. I'm going to be coming back out in just a few minutes. See you then!"

We all ran to the back of the stage and down the stairs. The second my feet hit the carpet of the hallway I turned to Brandi and gave her a hug. This was the reason I always turn to her for relationship advice. Kevin came over to me and whispered in my ear. "Miles, Nick is waiting for you in your dressing room. He wanted to talk to you in private. You better make this conversation fast though, you have to be back out there in ten minutes."

"Thank you so much for your help Kevin. You too Joe. You guys are the best friends I could ever ask for," I said, giving them each a hug before turning and heading to my dressing room.

"Eh, we do what we can," Joe called after me, dusting of his shoulders and pretending to be manly. I just laughed. Good old Joe.

I paused for a second with my hand on the doorknob. Deep breaths Miley.

* * *

**Once again, thank you so much for your feedback! I'm always open to suggestions. On that note, how do you think the conversation should go? I have a general idea but the chapter isn't written yet. Stay tuned! Chapter six will be out tomorrow.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you guys so much for your comments. It's funny, but this story is just as addicting to write as it sounds like it is to read. It's like I'm not even the one writing it because when I go back to read the chapters I'm interested too. I'm glad I waited to do this chapter though, because I think this I think I came up with a really good idea for it.**

* * *

I finally mustered enough willpower to open the door. Nick was sitting on a stool in the back corner of the room with his guitar in his hands. He was looking down at his strings and didn't even notice that I had entered. 

I just stood there watching him with an amused smile on my face. I don't think he could possibly get any cuter when he was fooling around with his guitar. You can really tell that he loves it. I let a small giggle escape my lips and his eyes whipped up to meet mine. "How long have you been in here?"

"Just a minute or so. We need to talk," I said, and he gestured for me to sit in a chair that he had set up about three feet in front of him.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to hear that song I wrote last night. I think it sums up my thoughts on the matter really well."

I gave him a quick nod and a forced smile. I knew that it couldn't be anything too bad after what just happened, but I was still a little uneasy.

"It isn't finished yet, and I don't know how I'll finish it at all now, but I think you deserve to hear it." He strummed a few notes on his guitar before starting up a melody.

_You broke my heart, left it in two_

_I can't forgive you this time_

_When I saw you with him_

_I knew that it was over_

_For good_

The smile on my face was instantly replaced with a frown and tears started to burn at the corners of my eyes. So this wasn't going too well so far. But Nick still had a small smile on his face as he sang. Was he trying to make me feel horrible?

_But life's not the same without_

_You by my side_

_I don't think I can take_

_Another day alone_

_You are my mirror_

_My strength, my heart_

_Now all I wish is that_

_I'd known_

_I should hate you, forever more_

_But I can't let you go_

_Please hurt me again_

_So I can stop missing you_

_For good_

_But life's not the same without_

_You by my side_

_I don't think I can take_

_Another day alone_

_You are my mirror_

_My strength, my heart_

_Now all I wish is that_

_I'd known_

Nick finished the last few chords and looked up at me expectantly. I just sat there, my mouth agape. I don't think I have ever been at such a loss for words in my life.

Gerry burst into the room and completely ruined the moment. "Miley! Where have you been? You're on in two minutes!"

"Can you just give me a second?" I pleaded. I just couldn't leave that song unanswered.

"Not now. Come on!"

I groaned and got up out of my seat, shooting Nick an apologetic glance as I turned and walked out of the door behind Gerry. That man seriously has the worst timing ever.

_I know what you like,  
I know what you think  
Not afraid to stare you down until you blink  
It's everything I see  
Every part of me  
Gonna get what I deserve  
(I got)  
I got nerve_

"Thank you everybody! Now I would like you help in calling out some very good friends of mine. Would you guys like to see the Jonas Brothers one more time?" The audience erupted in cheers from thousands of starstruck little girls.

Nick, Joe, and Kevin ran onstage to their respective mics and Joe yelled out across the audience. "Thanks for that introduction Miley. Now, let's get a beat started Kev, because _We Got the Party_ with us!"

The song was going really well. Joe is so fun to perform with because he does the craziest flips and dance moves. Nick walked over to me and we started our walk down the runway. He seemed extra perky this concert. He actually danced with me as I moved around him. This was it Miley, now or never.

As I came up on his right side I leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned to me and gave me such a huge, genuine smile that made his eyes twinkle a bit. We turned to walk back to the main stage and I touseled his hair a bit.

Joe just gave me a smirk and a knowing look.

The song finished and I ran offstage to change into Miley as the boys finished up their performance for the night.

"That went extremely well, if I do say so myself. I said to Brandi, who was getting her makeup touched up as well.

"You won't get to see him again until after the concert is finished, right?"

"No, but now I think I'm absolutely certain that we're okay again." Jillian was curling the last few pieces of hair at the back of my head around a curling iron. I only had about one more minute before I had to run down the tunnel to the trap door at the front of the stage.

"Well good luck sis. I'll see you out there. She gave me a quick peck on the top of the head before I headed out of the room.

* * *

It was during _Good and Broken_ that I noticed Nick out in the audience. I can't believe that I had never seen him before. His disguise was so obvious. I mean, what kind of guy wears black lens sunglasses and a baseball hat to a concert where all the lights are turned out? 

He sat right in front of stage left, and I spent most of the song directly in front of him. He just smiled the whole time and screamed like any obsessed Hannah Montana fan would. He's such a loser.

* * *

I sang _I Miss You_ for my encore that night. Since Brandi was there, I should have done _Ready, Set, Don't Go_, but my dad wasn't there, and I felt like my Grandpa was with me during that particular performance, like he had given me the strength and courage I needed. 

Afterwards, I headed backstage to the lounge area. I was already in my comfy clothes, and I just wanted to rest for a minute before clearing all of the makeup off of my face. When I entered the room, Joe, Kevin, and Brandi were already there, playing guitar hero, no less.

"You guys are no fair! I always lose," Joe whined, crossing his arms over his chest like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum.

"Ah, the advantages of actually playing the guitar," Brandi called over her shoulder. But that split second that she took her attention off of the game Kevin gained the advantage.

"Victory is mine! You both owe me a soda."

I just laughed and sat down on one of the side couches. I felt a plop beside me and looked over to see Nick. He was lying back with his eyes closed and a smile on his face. "Concerts wear me out."

I took his lead and shut my eyes as well. "Yeah, but they are so worth it. I love performing."

"And I love to watch you perform." But that male voice didn't belong to Nick. It wasn't Joe's or Kevin's either. It seemed so familiar, but I didn't want it to be true. "Oh my God!" I heard Brandi's muted voice from across the room. "Cody it's so good to see you again!"

She ran over to give him a hug. For the second time that day I was speechless, but for an entirely different reason. Cody had a dozen roses in his hand, and after Brandi let him out of the hug, he walked over to me and placed them in my arms. Even after this I wasn't prepared for what was coming next. It was too fast for me to even try and stop it. He kissed the top of my head and flashed me a huge smile.

That was Nick's breaking point, I guess. He shot up off of the couch and stormed out of the door without saying a word. Not even Kevin or Joe followed him this time. They were both interested on what was going to unfold.

Cody just gave Nick's retreating figure an odd look and turned his attention back to me. "Emily is at the buffet table right now, she'll be here in a minute…. What's wrong?" he said as he looked around the room to see four incredulous faces.

"Shit Cody! It's not like I'm not extremely happy to see you but _why_? Just when he was starting to believe me," I yelled, he tears pouring down my face, uninhibited.

"Huh? Did I miss something?" Cody was definitely out of the loop.

* * *

**Please disregard the suckiness of the first song lyrics. I just wrote them really fast so he would have a brand new song to sing. And thanks for the suggestion crazyforpurple. I tried to incorporate that a little.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the positive feedback! Enjoy.**

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"Remember when Nick broke up with Miley at the end of the summer? Well that was because he thought she was cheating on him with you. Which you didn't make seem any better with the roses and the affection there," answered Brandi. 

"He doesn't know that I have been dating Emily for the past four months?" Cody asked, clearly ashamed for messing up a very strong relationship.

"Oh don't blame yourself Cody. It's just a misunderstanding. And no, Nick and I haven't really been on speaking terms as of late" I reassured him, putting my arm around his shoulders.

"So wait, I'm confused. Why are you here in the first place, Cody? Isn't D.C. a pretty far drive from L.A.?" Joe said, taking Nick's spot on the couch and scratching his head.

"Em and I came to Baltimore to visit her grandmother, and we decided to surprise you. We were planning on hanging around for these two concerts. I guess that wasn't such a good idea."

Emily walked into the room with cookie hanging out of her mouth and three more in her hand. "Miley! How are you!" The cookies fell to the ground as she embraced me in a hug. When I didn't hug her back right away she pulled away and looked at me critically. "What did I miss."

Cody walked over to us and put his arm around Emily's waist. "Nick is pissed because he thinks that Miley cheated on him with me."

"Oh wow. You didn't, right? Because if that's true I might have to disown you."

"Emily! Of course we didn't," I laughed. "But I'm really screwed this time. The guys are only doing two more concerts with me, and I need to settle this thing with Nick before it's all said and done."

"Well why are we standing around here then? We need to go find him and explain!" Emily grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me out of the door. Everyone filed out of the room after us.

"Where are we going anyway? Where would he have gone?" I managed to get out between pants. "Jeez Em slow down it's not going to make a difference whether it takes five minutes or ten minutes. He's going to be in a really bad mood either way."

"He'll be in the studio on the bus. He always writes new lyrics when he's upset," Kevin said from behind us.

"Thanks Kevin. Now, we have to decide how we're going to handle this. I think that I should go in alone. As you said Kevin, I need to work this out for myself." I said, pushing away from the rest and heading off in the direction of the tour bus parking lot.

"Wait Miley! Don't you think that it would help if Emily and I come along and explain our relationship to Nick?" said Cody. He had caught up to me at that point.

"True. Good plan. But you have a total of two minutes to tell your side of the story, and then I would like some private time. Joe, Kevin, you two can go hang out in my bus with Brandi until we're done. Lord knows she can keep you entertained."

"YES! You do have food on that bus, right?" asked Joe, he was already headed off towards the other side of the parking lot, following Brandi around like a lost puppy.

"Of course, Joe. Now, I was thinking… Spongebob Monopoly and The Ring!"

"Oh yeah! We so get the good deal in this switching busses deal," said Kevin as he ran to catch up with the others.

* * *

Okay. Here goes nothing. I didn't bother knocking because I knew he wouldn't answer either way. Before I could talk myself out of this I pushed open the door of the bus and immediately headed to the studio in the back. I had told Cody and Emily to stay in the living area until I had talked to him a little first. As Kevin had assured me, Nick was sitting on the floor in the corner, pencil and paper in hand and guitar on the floor next to him. 

I cleared my throat to make my presence known. He just glared up at me.

"I hope you're happy. At least this experience gave me the inspiration I needed to finish that song, though it did take on a particularly bitter note at the end." He pushed past me and walked out the door into the living area. When he saw Cody on the couch he whipped his head back around to me it caught me off guard, and I stumbled away from him a little.

"Why the hell would you bring him into this bus? It's my home! You're right, I don't know you because the Miley I knew and _loved_ would not try to hurt me on purpose."

Cody stood up in front of Nick. He had a good two inches on him, and he looked intimidating as hell at the moment. "Would you just get over yourself and listen to the poor girl for a second? You might learn something."

"Nick, please. Just sit down and let us explain," Emily quipped quietly from her spot on the couch. The Jonas' driver, Adam, walked onto the bus and into the driver's seat. "Alright kids, we have got to get going if we want to get to Baltimore before midnight."

"You can leave as soon as these three get off of my bus and Joe and Kevin get on," snapped Nick as he sat down in a chair across from us.

"The other bus already left and your brothers were on it. Sorry, but this is the travelling arrangement and you're stuck with it. It's only an hour drive," Adam replied, as he put the bus into gear and turned out of the parking lot.

"Great."

* * *

Nick finally agreed to give the three of us five minutes to explain the whole situation before he was free to lock himself away in the studio for the rest of the trip. 

"Okay. So first off I would like to let you know that I never cheated on you with anyone. Cody and I were only kissing as part of the episode we were taping that day."

"But you were in your dressing room when I saw you…"

"Roger got mad when he said we had no chemistry on screen together and told us to go practice!" Cody jumped in.

"But then today with the flowers and the kiss…"

"That is nothing that you wouldn't have done for a good friend. Cody and Emily were just congratulating me on a good concert. Your brothers kiss me on the cheek all the time, but it's not like they are secretly in love with me and scamming on me behind your back!" By this point I was off the couch and standing right in front of Nick's chair.

"Besides, I have been dating Cody since before that episode was taped," Emily called from behind me.

"Oh. Shit you guys, I'm so sorry. I have never been the jealous type before. I just really really love you Miley, and I didn't want to have my heart broken again. Please forgive me." He had stood up and was now holding on to both of my hands.

I just broke down in tears, and he pulled me into a hug. "Aww!" Emily and Cody cooed from behind us.

"Remember that alone time I was talking about? That starts right about now," I said as Emily quickly pulled Cody up off of the couch and dragged him into the studio.

"I'm so so sorry Miles. I promise that I will never doubt your fidelity again." He pushed me to arm's length and looked at me with a critical look on his face.

I just burst out laughing. "Nick, I have never seen you be so serious before. As long as you know that I would never cheat on you we'll be ok. Besides, there's something that you don't know."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"That I love you too."

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**I'm pretty sure that this was my last chapter of this unless you guys have any good ideas because i think it has run its course. I have a really good idea for another story, but I think it would be better as its own story than as a sequel.**


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